Gas flare at the Ineos plant in Grangemouth in the Midland Valley, Scotland. The plant is being developed to import shale gas ethane from the US.
Photograph: David Rankin/Alamy

The Scottish government has launched a public consultation over whether to allow unconventional oil and gas extraction – including fracking – to take place in Scotland.

The four-month consultation runs until the end of May and the Scottish government then plans to make a recommendation that will go before MSPs for a vote towards the end of the year.

Studies have shown Scotland’s geology, in particular a stretch of land through Scotland’s central belt referred to as the Midland Valley, could contain significant quantities of shale gas and oil, and coal bed methane.

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However, the central belt is also one of Scotland’s most populated regions, supporting important industries and businesses, prompting the consultation to note that the future of fracking in the area had proved “both complex and controversial”.

“This has led to a widespread debate on potential environmental, health and economic impacts, and on compatibility with Scotland’s ambitious climate change targets,” the consultation website states.

A temporary moratorium on unconventional oil and gas development in Scotland has been in place since January 2015 which prevents hydraulic fracking for shale oil and gas, as well as coal bed methane extraction.

The Scottish parliament also passed a motion in support of a ban on fracking last summer, after governing Scottish National Party MSPs abstained from the vote.

The devolved administration said its position was to take a “cautious, evidence-led approach” on fracking – a practice which, green campaigners claim, can pose a risk to health, communities and the local environment, while also leading to greenhouse gas emissions – while it gathers and considers evidence.

A report by the independent expert scientific panel as well as a series of research projects have been commissioned to support the consultation, while a dedicated website – talkingfracking.scot – has also been set up.

The WWF Scotland director, Lang Banks, said any decision to access more fossil fuel reserves through fracking would “fly in the face” of the recently announced renewables and climate targets.

“The climate science is clear,” said Banks. “The vast majority of fossil fuel reserves need to be left in the ground and unburned. We expect Scottish Ministers to reflect this fact in their final decision.”